Spectroscopic analysis is widely used in many industrial, manufacturing, and research applications. Thin films are regularly employed in spectroscopy to contain the sample in a sample holder and prevent it from entering into the analytical instrumentation. The one of the properties of the thin film is that must be made of a material that is able to support the sample without it weakening, weeping or leaking. The thin film also attenuates the intensity between the sample being analyzed and the detection system. The goal for all spectroscopists is to select a thin-film that has the appropriate properties to contain the sample as well as being thin enough to allow enough energy to pass through for adequate material identification.
The environment in which the spectroscopic analysis is to be performed must be considered. The spectroscopic analysis may be performed in an environment in which various chemicals may be present, such as acids, alkalies, esters, ethers, oxidizing agents, and other types of chemicals. Various spectroscopic films that may be suitable for an application based on their transmittance characteristics may be wholly unsuitable based on their relative intolerance to chemicals present at the point of the analysis.
At the same time, choosing film of an appropriate material to facilitate spectroscopy is a complex endeavor. Different films, having different compositions and thicknesses, will have different transmittance characteristics for radiation of particular wavelengths or energies. Thus, one consideration in determining which film to use is the transmittance characteristics of various films to assist in choosing an appropriate film for a particular application. Thus, determining an appropriate film that satisfies these separate criteria may be a complicated task. The process of then identifying a source for a material for a film that meets all the criteria may be more complicated still.